It's certainly possible that the panic attacks are exacerbated by the W/D process.
In a prior post on a different thread I noted that there were some non-pharmacological things you could do to reduce or eliminate panic attacks, i.e. breathing exercises and meditation. It is really better if you can manage them without drugs . . . because when you withdraw from the drugs you often will get rebound anxiety attacks . . . . It is better to learn and use coping strategies.
The post was as follows:
Here's a printable how-to of breathing exercises by Jack Schwarz. It does not embrace Buddhism or any other religion:
http://www.positivehealth.com/PERMIT...on/reverie.htm
I think the best way to learn meditation is to attend a regular group meditation class. It is very hard to muster the discipline to meditate on your own, and a class gives you the support of a teacher and other students. (The goal is to make it a regular practice or habit). It also gets you out of the house, which is helpful to avoid temptation. Several classes were given at an evening college course I took on Tibetan Buddhism years ago. Currently I attend evening sessions at a "Healing Center" led by a psychologist who said she discovered that people healed faster with meditation vs. other approaches. She is really gifted and knows your state of mind at any time. I wish I knew how she did it. It is really beneficial because a person like her can help to "fine tune" your meditation.
There are lots of "how to" books on Amazon. By Buddhist style, I mean the practice where you empty your mind of though, or focus on specific parts of your body (e.g. the spiritual "3rd eye"). There are hundreds of more books that suggest visualization and other techniques, but the simple process of trying to "turn off the watcher" works well for me.
I don't like to sit on cushions and require back support. There is a relatively inexpensive "Back jack" meditation chair that I can endure for hours if desired:
http://www.fourgates.com/backjack.asp
I lifted an interesting thought about the etiology of panic attacks from the following site:
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p990249.html
David H. Barlow, Ph.D., developed a comprehensive model of panic disorder in which he explained that panics were sustained in patients because they developed a fear of bodily sensations associated with panic attacks (1988). Anxious apprehension causes chronic increased autonomic arousal, which increases vigilance with heightened sensitivity to evermore minute body sensations. A vicious cycle of apprehension and physiological activation results in panic disorder.
The site lists various approaches & techniques to treating panic disorder. The key is to break the cycle. Meditation offers one way.
Good luck,
Buzz